I'm not sure if this is where I should put this, but I am starting a summer camp at my barn and I need some ideas! It will be a weekend camp for maybe 2-3 weeks so I need things to keep the kids busy and also have some fun. We will do lessons as well as teaching them basic grooming, horse care etc. I have a few ideas for games, but I'm going to need more so they don't get bored and I'm not left with spare time and nothing to do. Any ideas will help! Thanks :)Posted via Mobile Device

Ashleysmardigrasgirl

03-12-2013 10:58 AM

First and foremost, I would make sure my insurance company covers whatever you plan to do. Waivers don't tend to hold much ground in court.

Marissa08

03-12-2013 11:02 AM

I'll have to check more into that and see. When I talked to the owner of the barn about it, he said it was all ok and to start planning, but I will double check to make sure.Posted via Mobile Device

callidorre

03-13-2013 11:26 PM

I hung out and helped my instructor/friend with her horse camp the last two years. She only does like a Friday to Monday camp with a group of 4 or so kids. She's does a trail ride at a local state park that has a lake you can take the horses into. That's always the big fun thing of the weekend. For liabilitly purposes, are there any trails on the property? Or can you take the kids on a ride anywhere outside of the ring? In fields?

Tossing out ideas here

Tie-dyeing shirts. Bobbing for apples with kids and/or horses. Having a farrier come out and trim/shoe a horse and having the kids watch and ask questions. Having the kids ride in pairs side by side having to keep the same pace with the other horse and rider. Last year (it was all my idea, my poor horse), we let the kids paint my horse, who is a very light grey horse and will let you do anything to him. I bought them washable crayola paint for his body, and that temporary hair color spray that you can find in the party section of walmart-for his mane and tail (in pink with sparkles :)). Have them clean tack. Wash a horse. Things that lesson kids don't normally get to do/see. Have them learn and name body parts on a horse. Give them each a horse to groom and have everyone judge their cleaning jobs. Teach them how to muck stalls. Any special horse events or horsey places you can tour with/take the kids during the camp (I'm pretty sure you don't have set dates, just saying for when you do)? Set up a fun course of ground poles for them. Teach them the parts of an english and western saddle.Posted via Mobile Device

At my summer camp a few years ago we did obstacle courses, rode bareback (single and double), learned to groom, learned to tack up, learned to muck a stall, trail riding.

Natfoth

03-21-2013 03:13 PM

Man there is so many fun and great ideas here that even though im an adult I still want to go out and do all of the ideas, guess im a kid inside still :D

Little Jane

03-25-2013 09:51 PM

What about an egg-and-spoon-type race? Each rider holds a spoon with an egg in it: the fastest one to the finish line, egg intact, wins.

HorseMom1025

03-25-2013 10:01 PM

AQHA and 4H both have "curriculums" that are inexpensive to purchase that offer a lot of great ideas. :).

At the summer camp my daughter attends, the kids learn a drill team style pattern that is performed on the last day of camp for the parents.Posted via Mobile Device

verona1016

03-27-2013 02:44 PM

My barn holds a few one-week camps throughout the summer. During one of them, the vet came to do a few horses' teeth (mine was one of them). Even though it wasn't one of the scheduled activities, the kids were fascinated by watching & asking questions of the vet and ended up doing that for a while instead of the craft activity they had planned.

If you have a personable vet, farrier, or other professional and you also need some horses worked on during that time period, you might see if they'd be willing to take some extra time to do it with an audience and answer a few questions :-)